Konica Minolta Dynax Maxxum 7DAt long last, Minolta SLR owners have a *very* worthy body to use with their lens collections!<<Optics :(Previous) | (Next): Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests>> Page 6:Exposure & FlashReview First Posted: 11/27/2004, Updated: 02/01/2005 |
Exposure
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In straight Auto mode, the camera controls everything about the exposure, except
for flash, zoom, and focus. Program AE mode keeps the camera in charge of the
exposure, while you have control over all other exposure options. While in Program
AE mode, you can rotate either of the control dials while half-pressing the
Shutter button to scroll through a range of equivalent exposure settings. Thus,
you can bias your exposure toward a faster shutter speed or greater depth of
field as circumstances dictate. Aperture Priority mode lets you select the lens
aperture setting, while the camera selects the most appropriate corresponding
shutter speed. In Shutter Priority mode, the user selects the shutter speed,
from 1/4,000 to 30 seconds, while the camera chooses the best corresponding
aperture setting. Switching to Manual mode gives you control over both shutter
speed and aperture, with a Bulb setting available for longer exposures. Exposure
time in Bulb mode is determined by how long you hold down the Shutter button.
There doesn't appear to be any limit to the duration of Bulb exposures, but
it appears that the dark-frame subtraction will only compensate for exposures
up to 30 seconds long. (I strongly recommend use of the optional wired remote
in Bulb mode, as the pressure of your finger on the Shutter button is bound
to jiggle the camera somewhat, blurring the image.) A Depth of Field Preview
button on the front of the camera lets you view a scene through the viewfinder
with the aperture stopped down, giving you an idea of the depth of field available
before actually capturing an image. The Exposure Mode
dial also features three Memory Recall settings, each of which bring up a previously-saved
register of settings. (The M Set button on the rear panel lets you set up a
Memory Recall mode.)
The 7D's default metering mode is a 14-segment honeycomb pattern system, which
takes readings throughout the image to determine exposure. Center-Weighted and
Spot metering options are also available via the Metering Mode dial on the rear
panel. Spot metering is useful for high-contrast subjects, as it bases the exposure
reading on the very center of the image, letting you set the exposure based
on a small portion of your subject. Center-Weighted metering also bases the
exposure on the center of the image, but the camera takes its readings from
a much larger area in the middle of the frame. You can also hold or lock the
exposure reading for a particular part of the image by pressing the AE Lock
button on the back panel. This button can be programmed
to act as either a "hold" or "toggle" control through the
Custom menu. "Hold" mode does just that, it holds the current setting
until you release the AE Lock button again. Toggle mode locks and releases the
exposure/focus setting with successive actuations of the AE Lock button.
(Spot Hold and Toggle options lock the area for Spot AE, regardless of the metering
mode selected on the dial.) Halfway pressing the Shutter button also locks exposure
and focus, but only in autofocus mode.
The 7D's light sensitivity can be set to ISO equivalents of 100, 200, 400, 800,
1,600, or to an optional 3,200 setting, or left in Auto mode for the camera
to adjust as it sees fit. (The 3,200 option only appears if enabled through
the Custom menu.) A Noise Reduction option is available for longer exposures
and higher ISO settings, and greatly reduces the amount of image noise that
would otherwise result. Exposure compensation is adjustable from either from
-2 to +2 exposure equivalents (EV) in one-third-step increments, or from -3
to +3 EV in half-step increments, by turning the Exposure Compensation dial
on top of the camera. (As noted earlier, the 7D is unusual in that it offers
half-step increments on one side of its Exposure Compensation dial, and third-stop
increments on the other side. Very slick.) An Auto Exposure Bracketing option
can snap three or five shots in rapid succession, varying the exposure between
each in steps of 0.3 or 0.5 EV units. You can also bracket the exposures using
the flash. The 7D's Drive mode dial offers Auto Exposure Bracketing for either
Single Advance or Continuous Advance drive settings.
The 7D offers very flexible control over white balance, color rendition, and tonal range, all available with a flip, press, and scroll. You start adjusting its white balance system with a flip of the main White Balance switch on the top deck, which has settings of Auto, Preset, Custom, and Kelvin. Under the Preset option, you can use the button in the center of the switch to bring up the menu, and the front scroll wheel to select among Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, or Flash light sources. For each preset, you can manually adjust the white balance from -3 to +3 in arbitrary units using the rear scroll wheel or up and down arrow keys (except for the Fluorescent setting, which adjusts from +4 to -2.) With the exception of the Fluorescent setting, each adjustment step is equivalent to about a 10 mired shift. The Custom Set mode determines white balance by snapping a picture of either a white or neutral gray card. The camera then adjusts its color balance to render the white card with a neutral hue, and saves the setting as the Custom option. As many as three Custom settings can be saved, very useful if you need to switch back and forth between different lighting conditions quickly. Under the Kelvin Temperature setting, you can set the white balance to a specific Kelvin degree setting. A Kelvin white balance option gives great flexibility for matching known color temperatures. Using the front command dial or left and right arrows, you can adjust the color temperature by 1000K, or by 100K using the rear command dial or the up and down arrows.
A Digital Effects (FX) option under the shooting menu offers control over image
contrast, saturation, sharpness, and hue, in five steps from -2 to +2 arbitrary
units. The Color Mode option of the Record menu offers Natural and Natural Plus
sRGB color modes, as well as an Embedded Adobe RGB setting. Adobe RGB color
space has a much broader gamut or range of reproducible colors than does sRGB,
the color space used by most digital cameras and computer monitors. The Embedded
designation simply means that the color space information is embedded in the
image file. Adobe RGB images will look rather dull when displayed on monitors
tuned to the sRGB standard, but when used in a color-managed work environment,
they can capture and reproduce a much greater range of colors.
Drive Modes
The 7D's Drive Mode dial, nestled under the Exposure Mode dial, accesses
a range of shooting modes, including Single Frame Bracketing, Continuous Advance
Bracketing, Single Frame Advance, Continuous Advance, 10-second Self-timer,
and Two-second Self-timer modes. Both of the bracketing modes access the camera's
Auto Exposure Bracketing system, explained above. In Continuous Advance mode,
the 7D captures a rapid series of images, with a maximum frame rate of three
frames per second. Actual frame rates will vary, depending on the image size
and quality settings, as will the total number of images in the series, due
to the amount of memory card space.
The two Self-Timer modes fire the shutter a short delay after the Shutter button is pressed. The shorter, two-second delay is very handy when you need to prop the camera on something to take a photo in dim lighting, and don't want the pressure of your finger on the shutter button to jiggle the camera. The 10-second delay is long enough that you can run around to get into the photo yourself. An LED lamp on the front of the camera blinks and the camera beeps as the 10-second Self-Timer is counting down, the blink and beeps becoming faster in the last few seconds. (No indication is given for the shorter countdown.) As with many other functions on the 7D, I liked being able to choose between the 2- and 10-second delay settings without having to delve into a menu screen.
Accessed through the Record menu instead of the Drive Mode dial, the 7D's Interval mode captures a series of images at specific intervals over time, providing a built-in time-lapse capability. The 7D can capture as many images in the sequence as the memory card will allow, with frame intervals ranging from 30 seconds to 60 minutes, and a delayed start time as long as 24 hours.
Flash
The 7D features a built-in,
swing-up flash , which operates in either Fill-Flash, Red-Eye Reduction, Rear
Flash sync, or Wireless modes. (I call it a swing-up flash because it doesn't
pop up automatically when needed, and also doesn't manually pop up at the press
of a button under spring pressure, which would be more convenient when you're
in a hurry.) To release the flash from its compartment, pull on the two small
tabs on either side of the casing and lift up the flash head. Close it again
by simply pushing the flash head back down. The Flash mode is changed through
the Record settings menu, or optionally through the Custom option of the Function
dial. In Fill-Flash mode, the flash fires with every exposure, regardless of
lighting conditions. Red-Eye Reduction fires a series of small pre-flashes before
firing the flash at full power for the exposure itself. This makes your subjects'
pupils contract and reduces the occurrence of the Red-Eye effect. The Rear Flash
Sync mode fires the flash at the end of the shutter time, rather than the beginning.
If you have moving objects in a relatively brightly lit environment, this will
produce a sharp image of your subject, with a "motion trail" following
behind it. The flash is in the Off position when it's closed. The Wireless mode
lets the camera work with wireless remote flash units, with four channels available
through the settings menu, so different camera/flash setups working in the same
area won't interfere with each other. (Konica Minolta makes two flash units
that support the 7D's wireless capability, the Program/Maxxum 5600HS [D] and
3600HS [D].)
In Program AE, Full Auto, and Aperture Priority exposure modes, pressing and
holding the AE Lock button activates a Slow-Sync mode setting, which balances
the flash exposure with the ambient lighting. The exposure is based on the ambient
light, and the flash power is based on the aperture setting. Results with indoor
and outdoor shots that include light fixtures can be dramatic and pleasing.
The 7D offers two methods of flash metering. Its default mode is called ADI,
which stands for Advanced Distance Integration. In this mode, it bases its flash
exposure on the lens aperture and distance feedback from the autofocus system,
as well as on the light reflected back from a pre-flash. By determining how
far away the target subject is, the camera knows how much flash power is required
to illuminate it, and so is less likely to be fooled by subjects that are unusually
light or dark overall. Alternatively, the Pre-Flash TTL (through the lens) method
bases the exposure determination solely on a small metering flash before the
main exposure. Used in conjunction with the spot autofocus option mentioned
earlier, the ADI flash metering should be more accurate with small subjects
against a different colored background than the pre-flash method.
For use with studio strobes and conventional slave triggers, the 7D also has a manual flash power option. This lets you set the flash power to Full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, or 1/16 power manually. In this mode, the flash fires only once, at the moment of exposure. The single flash pulse avoids false triggering when working with conventional slave triggers.
The 7D also includes a top-mounted hot shoe for attaching an external flash
unit. The shoe design and contact arrangement are set up for Konica Minolta's
own dedicated flash units, but I imagine that compatible models are available
from the major third-party flash manufacturers (Sunpak et. al.). Konica Minolta's
own Maxxum/Program Flash models 2500(D), 3600HS(D), and 5600HS(D) work with
the 7D, and two macro flashes (Macro Twin Flash 2400 and Macro Ring Flash 1200)
will work with an accessory macro flash controller. The 7D is compatible with
the High Speed Sync (HSS) function of the Maxxum/Program Flash 5600HS(D) and
3600HS(D) units, meaning the camera can use its full range of shutter speeds
up to 1/4,000 second.
An external flash sync terminal (the so-called "PC" style connector)
accommodates just about any third-party flash unit. This makes the 7D much more
appealing to photographers who already have an existing strobe system for the
studio.
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